Related

Meredith Stevenson wanted a voice in the National Hockey League lockout and to get it the lifelong fan made what she described as a gut-wrenching decision.

She and her husband Dean cancelled the pair of Vancouver Canucks season-tickets they had held for 14 years.

“The last lockout (in 2004-05) didn’t seem to bother me as much,” the North Vancouver resident said Thursday. “Now that this is kind of the second time around and we are faced with the same old argument, I just found myself feeling increasingly frustrated.

“My husband and I have been evaluating how we can be heard in all this because we are just a little bit fed up with it. Even though we are huge fans — we never miss a game — it just got to be the only way we felt we could have a voice.”

So late last week, Stevenson called her account representative with the Canucks and told him they were giving up their cherished lower-bowl seats at Rogers Arena. And as difficult a decision as that was, Stevenson said she found it almost liberating.

“I felt like I’ve done all I can to make my point,” she said. “As a consumer there’s nothing we can do other than not consume the product. So I just thought if that’s the only way, that’s what I’ll do. It’s going to be painful. What if the Canucks next year win the Stanley Cup and I am not going to have tickets. It’s going to be devastating for me, but it feels really good to do it. It feels good to have a voice and be able to say, you know what, I’m not going to consume it, I don’t agree with this any more.”

Hockey has always been a big part of Stevenson’s life. She plays twice a week and was the first and only female producer at EA Sports on its NHL team. The 38-year-old mother of two young children now owns and operates an event planning company.

Stevenson said she and her husband really don’t have sides in the NHL dispute, which began Sept. 15 when the league locked out its players.

“I am too angry to sympathize with either side right now,” she said. “I’m really tired of the bickering back and forth. I know the players probably got a little bit screwed in the last contract and they want to come back and make sure the same thing doesn’t happen again. But to be honest, as everyone says, it’s the millionaires bickering with the multimillionaires. It just doesn’t sit well with the majority of people.”

When she cancelled her tickets, Stevenson’s account rep with the Canucks asked her to send an email that he could pass on to Canucks management. She did that, outlining her reasons in very passionate terms.

“This is not the sport I fell in love with at the age of 4 and have been so dedicated to my entire life,” Stevenson said in her letter to the Canucks.

“I’m not a season-ticket holder who makes 250K a year. Having these tickets is not merely a drop in our financial bucket — it is a significant investment and expenditure for our family. I’ve watched the Canucks grow into an amazing team and I love them with every ounce of my being. BUT, I really feel like I need to make a stand here. The incessant greed of players and owners alike has left a very bad taste in my mouth.”

Stevenson has not yet received a response from anyone in Canuck management, but general manager Mike Gillis said late Thursday he understands the passion of the team’s fans.

“I think people are frustrated, not unlike us, we’re also frustrated,” Gillis said. “I think everyone around the game is frustrated to a certain measure. It gets played out in a variety of different ways.

“Our season-ticket holders are extremely important and we value their opinions at a very high level. It’s an unfortunate set of circumstances, but we have passionate fans and passionate people will display their emotion in a variety of ways.”

Gillis said Canucks, who have a lengthy season-ticket waiting list, have had “a limited number of season-ticket cancellations.”

Stevenson said the tickets were costing her family nearly $11,000 a year, plus as much as $8,000 for playoff tickets. They had put down roughly $3,700 towards this season’s tickets, which will now be refunded.

“Our season-tickets are a big investment for us,” Stevenson said. “It always hurt a little bit when those payments came due. I think that’s also why it feels a little bit liberating to be honest.”

She’s not sure what her family will do with that extra money.

“I don’t know,” she said. “It will probably all be going on our line of credit.”

Stevenson knows she and her husband have lots of company in being frustrated fans. One of her friends, West Vancouver video game producer Steve Rechtschaffner, on Wednesday started a petition that asks fans to boycott the NHL and all of its products for three years unless hockey is being played by Christmas.

Like Stevenson, Rechtschaffner feels like fans just don’t have a voice.

“I guess the word would be frustration,” Rechtschaffner, himself a former Canuck season-ticket holder, said when asked why he started the petition. “I think a lot of people feel like they are frustrated by the whole situation and have no leverage, don’t have a dog in the fight.

“And I thought I am willing to commit to the idea that if these people really don’t make an effort to get it solved and get it going by Christmas I want to let them know that I am willing to commit to not spending any money on their product for three years.”

His petition only had a handful of signatures on Thursday, but Rechtschaffner thinks numbers will swell with some media exposure and word of mouth.

“If you’re a fan of NHL hockey and are feeling disrespected and taken for granted, this is a way to let the owners and players know that there will be long- range damage to them, that they should take into account before blowing this entire season up,” Rechtschaffner’s petition says.

A link to it can be found at www.change.org/petitions/n-h-l-and-n-h-l-p-a-end-the-lockout-by-xmas-or-you-won-t-see-my-money-for-the-next-3-years.

Comments

We encourage all readers to share their views on our articles and blog posts. We are committed to maintaining a lively but civil forum for discussion, so we ask you to avoid personal attacks, and please keep your comments relevant and respectful. If you encounter a comment that is abusive, click the "X" in the upper right corner of the comment box to report spam or abuse. We are using Facebook commenting. Visit our FAQ page for more information.

Share

A frustrated fan makes a tough decision and says so long to the Canucks

Video

Sports Highlights

Best of Postmedia

Swoop has yet to pick up a single customer, but Canada’s newest ultra-low-cost carrier is already talking about expanding into a market that is just taking off. Launched by WestJet Airlines Ltd., Calgary-based Swoop started booking customers this month for flights that begin this summer connecting five Canadian cities. It is offering discounted fares on […]

Director Ryan Coogler admits he was surprised by the initial feedback he got from the bigwigs at Marvel Studios when he began sharing his vision for its next franchise, Black Panther. After all, he was set to make a $200-million epic blockbuster; a popcorn movie that mixed dazzling special effects, heart-stopping action sequences and sprawling […]

At the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary, Mary Ormsby of the Toronto Star took one look at the fit, spandex-laden forms of the cross-country skiers and declared: “I have found my new sport.” Ormsby wasn’t a typical out-of-shape scribe. She had been an all-American volleyball player at Ohio State, so knew athletics from both sides. […]

Almost Done!

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.

Postmedia wants to improve your reading experience as well as share the best deals and promotions from our advertisers with you. The information below will be used to optimize the content and make ads across the network more relevant to you. You can always change the information you share with us by editing your profile.

By clicking "Create Account", I hearby grant permission to Postmedia to use my account information to create my account.

I also accept and agree to be bound by Postmedia's Terms and Conditions with respect to my use of the Site and I have read and understand Postmedia's Privacy Statement. I consent to the collection, use, maintenance, and disclosure of my information in accordance with the Postmedia's Privacy Policy.